Roger Omer Robitaille

Roger O. Robitaille, whose tireless work ethic was surpassed only by his passion to provide for his large Franco American family, died peacefully at the home he built himself in Lewiston on Sunday, Dec. 7, surrounded by loved ones. He was 90.

He was born in Lewiston on Sept. 5, 1935, the eldest son of Eddie and Lucia (Cloutier) Robitaille. He attended Lewiston High School, where he played hockey with the Blue Devils. He served in the Air Force, stationed in North Africa from 1954-58.

Roger married Jeannine L. Caron on May 2, 1959, and together they raised eight children on Dyer Road. They had seven grandchildren, some of whom they helped to raise, and several great-grandchildren. Family and faith meant the world to him and Jeannine, and Sundays offered them a weekly opportunity to spend time with the many people they loved most, both in Lewiston and at the cottage that Roger and his son James built in South Harpswell.

He started his working life right out of the gate, delivering newspapers for pennies as a young boy. After stints at local rail yards and then at the textile mill where his father worked, Roger swore off factories and began his carpentry and building career with a contractor, Amedée Bolduc, in Lewiston. He learned everything he knew on the job and ultimately became proficient enough to strike out on his own as an independent contractor in the early 1970s, Over six and a half decades, he would build and perform general contracting duties at countless homes and businesses all across Maine and frequently in New Hampshire. Friends and colleagues alike marveled as he continued to work well into his late 80s. He used to joke that he’d have to take a day off from work to celebrate when his oldest son, Alan, retired in 2023.

At home, Roger was never idle. Every year, he cultivated a huge garden on “the Robitaille Farm,” growing a cornucopia of vegetables and berries that he shared with family and friends. His generosity was boundless. He also loved all animals, including his many dogs (especially “the Coke”), cats, ponies and wild critters like his pet squirrel, Linus. He even loved the ones — like his bull, Skipper, his chickens and his beloved turkeys — that would ultimately end up on the table for Sunday dinners.

He was a lifelong fan of the New England Patriots, though not of the Boston Red Sox; much to his adult children’s dismay, he revealed he had “always been a fan of the Pinstripes.” Roger enjoyed watching football with his kids, and loved playing cards, teasing his wife and especially telling stories that elicited belly laughs from everyone within earshot.

Survivors include a sister, Pauline Perdeau, of Toledo, Ohio; a brother, Paul Robitaille, of Lewiston; his sister-in-law, Sonia Robitaille, of Brunswick; eight children: Alan and his wife, Rachel, of Portland; Brian (or “B”), of Falmouth; Jeri-Marie and her husband, Everett Parry, of Lisbon Falls; James, of Lewiston; Lori Robitaille and her partner, Rick Dubuc, of Lewiston; Karen (or “K”), of Lewiston; Steven, of Saint Agatha; and Julie and her husband, James Fortin, of Saco; seven grandchildren: Shawn Hartford, of Auburn; Samantha (Pelletier) Smith and her husband, Cory, of Gray; Heather (Parry) Hayes and her husband, Jason, of Scarborough; Courtney (Pelletier) Deschaine and her husband, Joseph, of Sabattus; Robert Parry and his wife, Jenna, of Hollis Center; Joshua Fortin, of Tewksbury, Massachusetts; and Amelia Fortin, of Saco; four great-grandchildren: Otto Hartford, of Auburn; Greta Louise Parry, of Hollis Center; Bennett Smith, of Gray; and Anthony Deschaine, of Sabattus; and many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents; his wife of more than 65 years, in February; a sister, Lucille Bowie, of Virginia, in 2022; a brother, Gerald Robitaille, of Los Angeles, California, in 1996; his daughter-in-law, Deborah E. (Bussiere) Robitaille, of Lewiston, in May; and a great-grandchild, Hiram Brian Parry.

At the request of the family there will be no visitation.